With the general election finally entering its closing act, let us take the time to look back at the best movies about the political process.
There will be obvious omissions, so in order to keep this article in manageable form; Presidential Biographies will be left out as they tend to focus on the person in the job and not really about political machine. The films below will be those that celebrate, expose or lambaste the political process. In no particular order: “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1938) “I wouldn't give you two cents for all your fancy rules if, behind them, they didn't have a little bit of plain, ordinary, everyday kindness and a little looking out for the other fella, too.” -Jefferson Smith- Director Frank Capra took the most cynical institution and gave it his trademark optimism and decency with the best actor who could portray those traits genuinely in this legendary classic. James Stewart gives his star-making performance as the naïve mid-westerner, Jefferson Smith, who is plucked from obscurity to fill a vacant seat from his hometown in the U.S. Senate. Mocked by the hardened politicians at first, Smith’s affability eventually rubs off on a few. Even the most cynical of viewers, who may view this as science-fiction, will get a lump in their throat during Smith’s raspy-voiced monologue about what it really means to be an American. Personal favorites of both Stewart and Capra, the film is unabashed in its love of country and small town values. “All the King’s Men (1949) “Now, shut up! Shut up, all of you! Now listen to me, you hicks. Yeah, you're hicks too, and they fooled you a thousand times like they fooled me. But this time, I'm going to fool somebody. I'm going to stay in this race. I'm on my own and I'm out for blood.” -Willie Stark- A fascinating look into the political machine of the now dead ‘old south’ that stars Broderick Crawford, as Willie Stark the last honest man in politics in his Oscar winning performance for best Actor as the small town politician who quickly becomes famous for his populist ideals, yet becomes just as corrupted as those he railed against once elected. This well-acted drama shows how the political machine eats honest men alive, no matter how strong or virtuous they think they are; they succumb to their own faults and insecurities. Stark becomes intoxicated with the power and the approval from the voters, he loses sight of what’s most important; his integrity. Strong supporting work from Mercedes McCambridge (“Giant”, the voice of possessed Regan in “The Exorcist”) and John Ireland as his faithful staffers who gradually lose faith in what Stark originally represents. A 2006 remake starring the Liberal swine Sean Penn is to be avoided. “The Best Man” (1964) “Nice thing about you, Joe, is that you can sound like a liberal, but at heart you're an American” -T.T. Claypoole- Henry Fonda gives one of his finest performances as the Vice President seeking his party’s nomination battling opposition from a younger, more ambitious politician played by Cliff Robertson. Writer Gore Vidal‘s stage play is turned into a compelling behind-the-scenes look at political conventions back in the days when the nominees were not chosen in the primaries. The deal-making and glad-handing is still as relevant today as ever and just as cynical. “Triumph of the Will” (1935) “It is our will that this state shall endure for a thousand years. We are happy to know that the future is ours entirely!” -Adolph Hitler- How do you review a film that dispenses so much evil bullshit? I guess this is what it must be like to be an Obama supporter. Har Har, I kid, but seriously… Director Leni Riefenstahl’s propaganda film for the blossoming Nazi Party in 1934 is one of the most effective films of its kind. Sure the message is evil incarnate based on lies and fear, but its stylish visuals, fantastic editing and stirring music almost convince the viewer that maybe these guys aren’t so bad. ALMOST…the film is not THAT good. A must see for everyone; a cautionary lesson for the zealot idealist and a warning to not get caught up in nationalists feelings and giving too much power to our elected leaders. Surprisingly influential, Director George Lucas used several shots for “Star Wars: A New Hope,” particularly the closing ceremony. "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962)
“It's a terrible thing to hate your mother. But I didn't always hate her. When I was a child, I only kind of disliked her.” -Raymond Shaw- A group of soldiers in the Korean War are captured by Chinese Communists and brainwashed to perform evil acts when given special commands. The veterans return to the United States with no memory of their capture, but Bennett Marco, played by Frank Sinatra, later experiences nightmares related to the brainwashing and begin an investigation to discover the root of his concerns. He interviews and eventually attempts to befriend his former platoon leader Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), a difficult man whose domineering mother’s (Angela Lansbury) new husband, Senator Islin, is a fascist-leaning Republican candidate for the presidency. It soon becomes apparent that the brainwashed Shaw is pivotal in the Communist assassination plot against various powerful political figures. Two powerful performances by Sinatra and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Islin anchor this razor-sharp thriller stuffed with intelligence and paranoia. Director John Frankenheimer directs with confidence and keeps the performances crackling with energy. Sinatra is unrecognizable here, as is Lansbury as she plays against type, whose Mrs. Islin is a cauldron-stewing shrew of such unhinged ambition and lust for power, she reminds you of a current Female Senator. She almost hisses her words as she gives a creepy, border-line incestuous kiss for good luck to her only son, Shaw as she plots for revenge against his and her family’s enemies. Classy all the way around, this gem was lost for nearly 30 years as it was pulled from theaters shortly after its premiere, out of respect for the murdered President John F. Kennedy, Sinatra’s close friend. It was re-released to critical acclaim in 1987. A not bad remake helmed by Jonathan Demme was released in 2004 starring Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep. “Missiles of October” (1974) “No One Knew How close to war we came, until now.” Originally produced for television, this straight-forward docu-drama exploits with great skill and dramatic power the event that defined the presidency of John F. Kennedy. After Soviet missiles are discovered in Cuba in 1962, JFK and his team maneuver and negotiate to have them removed or risk going to war. Shot on videotape, the lack of production scale adds to the milieu, leaving nothing to distract from the inherent drama, especially now as we learned later just how close to the brink of nuclear engagement we came. Performances are all tense and convincing, especially William Devane as the President, who conveys both assurance and trepidation with believable measure. Martin Sheen as brother Robert Kennedy is equally good. JFK believes in the power of his position, but is reluctant to use it as nuclear engagement is possible, the film constantly stresses Kennedy’s knowledge and diligence, whatever fears his opponents had of his “youth and inexperience” were assuaged as the resolution was reached with an impressive display of good judgment, forethought, prudence and strength that would lead to the ousting of Soviet Leader Khrushchev in 1964 and to the thawing in the Cold War. Nothing fancy about the presentation, just a fantastic recreation of one of the most dramatic moments in modern history. In 2000, the same events were filmed and presented in a more cinematic package as “Thirteen Days” starring Kevin Costner. Both films are excellent examples of the enormity of the job the President holds and underscores what a pack of spineless pussies we currently have in the Democratic Party.
“Primary Colors” (1998) “Governor Ozio has got to be the dumbest eye-talian since Nero!” Based on the novel of the same name, John Travolta and Emma Thompson play Jack and Susan Stanton, thinly veiled versions of the Clintons; the story unfolds during many months on the Presidential campaign trail resulting in Stanton’s election to the Presidency. Director Mike Nichols walks a tight-rope of drama/comedy wringing every ounce of humor and poignancy from a smart, funny script by Elaine May. The performances make this a keeper as Travolta and Thompson have never been better, full of passion and vitality. She, a screaming demanding harpy that could be what Hillary Clinton was like and he, an amoral, skirt-chasing redneck, full of good intentions and a massive intellect that could be what Bill Clinton was like. Billy Bob Thornton as a campaign advisor has most of the film’s best lines and Larry Hagman delivers a sympathetic turn as Stanton’s opponent, Gov. Fred Picker. The show-stopping performance belongs to Kathy Bates as Libby, who earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination, as the Stanton’s Campaign advisor who comes to a heartbreaking realization that her friends aren’t in the race for noble reasons, but merely political and the lust for power; when she challenges them to rise to the occasion, to be better than the other guy, they fail her test resulting in a heartbreaking outcome. Emotional, but never mawkish, political, but never preachy, the film skewers the entire political process with glee, especially the Stanton’s, yet its acuity holds it in an acceptable amount of reverence and pride.
JFK (1991) “It's a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma!” Regardless of what you may think of Director Oliver Stone’s politics, this is a filmmaker at the top of his game creating one of the best pictures of the 1990’s. Critics were unanimous with their glowing reviews upon its release, yet the political commentators wanted Stone’s head on a stick. Even though the film poses some wild theories, it’s outrageously compelling, flawlessly executed and performed. The most important thing is it shows an ardor long since gone, both Stone as a Director and a society in general. The film covers six years, 1963-69, of New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison’s investigation into the many inconsistencies surrounding the President’s murder. Some are credible, and some just bizarre, yet all are given time to let the viewer decide. Kevin Costner as Garrison has never been more passionate and commanding. A whose-who in supporting roles are all fantastic; Ed Asner, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, John Candy, Sissy Spacek, Joe Pesci, Kevin Bacon and Donald Sutherland. Tommy Lee Jones as Garrison’s main suspect is excellent as the oily Clay Shaw. Unfortunately, Stone played loose with some pertinent facts about Oswald and Kennedy’s murders, but who cares- it’s a fantastic piece of work, full of passion, patriotism and anger that stresses the dangers of always implicitly trusting ones government . “Bob Roberts” (1992)
“More amazing than Watergate” This cutting political satire from first time writer/Director Tim Robbins is surprisingly funny without being clamorous and preachy. Real life Liberal activist Robbins plays Conservative Bob Roberts running for the Pennsylvania Senate seat, against his Democratic, opponent Brickley Paiste played by Gore Vidal. The corrupt Roberts runs a crooked campaign from the gate and conveys his right wing political views through folk songs with titles like, “Drugs Stink” and “This Land was Made for Me.” Shot like a documentary as if the cameras are meant to catch unintended moments, the cinema verte` feel adds to the conviction and helps us to get to know what a scumbag BR really is. Roberts politics are certainly up for mocking and it’s funny to hear lyrics like, “What's right is right, what's left is wrong", but to only concentrate on right vs. left would do the film and its intentions a grave injustice. The point of the film isn’t a slanted, liberal diatribe; what’s stressed over and over is how the entire political process has been poisoned, how a guy like Roberts with his inflammatory rhetoric gets as far as he does with hardly anyone looking into his dishonest campaign. A brave reporter tries, but the media elite instead focus on an affair Paiste is having with a campaign worker. Fingers too are pointed at the gullible media and how the network news anchors throw their integrity out the window for ratings and tawdry stories.
The film's best running gag are the idiot lensmeat newsreaders and their telling names like, Tawna Titan, Chip Daley and Rock Burton, all are are played by famous faces; Susan Surandon,Peter Gallagher, Pamela Reed, Fred Ward, Fisher Stevens and James Spader. Other quick camoes include, Alan Rickman and Jack Black. On the surface it works as a mock-u-mentary, much like “A Mighty Wind” & “This is Spinal Tap” satirizing everything, not just politics, but everything in sight and if that was it- that would have been fine, but Robbins digs a little deeper to expose the corruption, lies and hypocrisy and proves still, 16 years since its original release, how politics have been debased and disabled with money and greed. It’s no longer about the best person winning, but how dirty can you play the game and how much you have to spend to do it, selling your soul in the process.
“The Contender” (2000) “Sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot.” This astute, savvy drama explores the politics of personal destruction as it definitely is attuned to the temper of its times. After the sitting Vice-President suddenly dies, a search for his replacement begins. The current President Jackson Evans, nominates a woman, Senator Laine Hanson. The nominating process begins, led by Republican Chairman Shelly Runyon, played by Gary Oldman. As the research into Hanson’s past begins, a few discoveries are made that makes Runyon dogged in his quest to sabotage her nomination. The film speaks volumes on Runyon’s ironic motivation; he does whatever he can to uncover the details of Hanson’s past, yet tramples over common decency; something he vehemently upholds. He’s an arrogant prick who sees nothing wrong in dragging her name through the mud, making a mockery of the constitution- the entire nominating process, all in the name of moral superiority and political gamesmanship. Swiftly directed and performed, the film suffers however from its political biasness. Chairman Runyon as the Republican is portrayed as the sneering, holier-than-thou prude, while the Democrat Senator Hanson is shown to be fair-minded, righteous speaker of the truth; it works in the context of the film however. If you can get past that load of bullshit, the film is a tense little lesson in moral judgment and how power convinces some that they have the last say on moral authority. As it so often happens the road to find the truth is often littered with lies and how scrutiny on one’s past is often times irrelevant and sometimes just nobody’s damn business. “Election” (1999) “It's like my mom says, "The weak are always trying to sabotage the strong." -Tracy Flick- As if armed with a shotgun, Writer/Director Alexander Payne takes aim at whatever gets in his way. Promoted as a teen comedy, this sharp satire of a high school student government election runs much deeper than that as it is more about the personality types it takes to run such things; it could just as easily be set in the world of national politics. Scheming, lying, cheating, back-stabbing, lesbian affairs and adultery all show up to alter the lives of the main participants. Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon, star as teacher, Mr. McAllister and student, Tracy Flick. They clash as McAllister is steamrolled by Flick and he hates her for her overachieving, while he slowly dies inside from the routine of daily life and a boring marriage. As her ruthless ambition pushes him to the breaking point, he makes several irrational decisions all out of hatred for Tracy (or is it perhaps jealousy) and what she represents- in this case a soon-to-be career politician.
“Dr. Strangelove” (1962) “You can’t fight in here! This is the War Room!” Who would have thought a comedy about nuclear war could actually be funny. It is, brilliantly so, Director Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece jumps head first into, what was then, unknown waters and emerges with the best political satire of all time. Filmed at the peak of the Cold War and released just weeks before the Cuban Missiles Crisis, Kubrick taps into the fears of the day and like a skilled, surgeon, the humor as well. Peter Sellers’ triple character performance, as the US President, British liaison, Captain Mandrake and the sinister strategist Dr. Strangelove goes beyond mere acting and blasts the absurdity and tenants of the Cold War, by arguing that if a ``nuclear deterrent'' destroys all life on Earth, it is hard to say exactly what it has deterred. George C. Scott’s Major Turgidson is played with such maniacal glee; one hopes he wasn’t based on anything but caricature. One of the film’s most iconic, eerie images is of Major Kong (Slim Pickens) riding atop the nuclear bomb, hat in hand, whooping and yelling like a crazed cowboy to his death.